My wife plays the viola (which is similar to a violin) and I play Cribbage, so I thought, let’s take the two passions and combine them!
I created the violin cribbage board using photos, my wife’s violin and her input during the design process. The first thing I did was to select the woods used for all the parts. I chose similar colors for the body and neck as this comprised most of the piece.
Shaping the body and neck was a challenge. Attaching the neck to the body took cutting filing and sanding to achieve a tight fit. The scroll at the top of the violin was also a challenge. I found by beveling the end and using three round pieces on each side gave the scroll a realistic look. Normally the belly is made from fine grade spruce.
I shaped the profile of the tuning pegs out of a two-inch-long stock and sliced off each peg. These were attached to the peg box using dowel stock.
The bridge was particularly fun as it involved cutting, drilling, sawing and filing. I beveled the bridge and included the four string glides on the top.
I used darker wood to create the two F-holes in the middle of the violin. This involves mostly hand work to achieve the correct shape and size. In an actual violin, altering the F-holes affects the sound.
The chin rest is one of two moving parts needed on the cribbage board. It pivots out to reveal the deck of cards and cribbage pegs. On top of the chin rest is the tailpiece. On a real instrument the tailpiece holds the strings in place so there is a good distance from the bridge. The other moving part is the end pin that locks the chin rest and tailpiece in place.
In order to give the illusion of strings, I used wood stock with a very pronounced grain. This is where the actual cribbage board is. Laying out and drilling the 124 holes was a slow and precise process, but one I enjoyed.
Creating the violin cribbage board was lots of fun. In making this piece I used six varieties of wood. Real instruments are built by masters so it was really a challenge to recreate a beautiful piece of wood art that functions as a game.
Gary J. Mlynek